COMMON SENSELESS

A comedic memoir for the 20-something college student looking to laugh off embarrassing and awkward situations.

Miller, 22-years-old, shares kooky stories from her time as an undergraduate at the College of Charleston in South Carolina. Tales range from using a blow-dryer in an unsuccessful attempt to defrost a 13-pound turkey before a dinner party, suffering from a poorly timed bout of food poisoning during class, and learning how to embrace the dreaded b-word: budget. Some of the stories are amusing, especially those that adopt the revealing style of sharp-tongued comic Chelsea Handler. A passage about the importance of refraining from bringing credit cards to bars and late-night binges at Taco Bell is reminiscent of Handler’s stories. However, other stories fall flat thanks to unfunny punch lines. Miller uses part of her book to offer advice to young readers about how to survive college-dorm life. These golden tidbits include never shop on an empty stomach, don’t leave expensive jewelry in your suitcase and learn how to read road maps in case your GPS is on the fritz. Many of the tips, namely, don’t share personal info on the Internet, are obvious to most people. Miller’s work will not appeal to everyone. Those over age 30 will likely find the book to be a bit self-indulgent. But that doesn’t mean that the author can’t find an audience. The book’s amusing stories may attract college students who can relate to the shenanigans or teenagers looking for a preview of university life.

A lighthearted primer for college freshmen out on their own for the first time.